Hello all,

Been reading on this forum for quite some time, but this is my first post. I just bought my 3rd jeep, an 09' JK X. I have owned a 97 TJ and a 03' TJ so I am familliar with the Wrangler and wrenching on them.

Now, I have have a few questions and I am looking for some feedback. First, my current set-up:

Gear Alloy 18 X 9.5 rims
Interco SS M-16 tires (285-65-R18)
Daystar 1 3/4" spacer lift









Now, my steering is terrible. Bump steer is a serious issue and the steering itself is very touchy and feels like it is all over the road. I am running the tires at 28PSI. I know going to larger tires makes for a bit more sensitive steering, but I have never experienced anything like this before.

Now, I am feeling that the OEM damper is just weak and I need to upgrade to a heavier shock. I have been looking at Fox stabilizer, but I was wanting some feedback on these. They are a bit pricey compared to other units, but is it worth it.

I really wanted the Rough country 2.2 dual set-up, but it won't fit on my ride. I emailed rough country and asked them, and they said no way.

Also I am thinking about upgradeing the shocks to Bilstein 5100 series all around. I am figuring that if I upgrade to a better shock and the damper, many of my problems will go away.

So could you please provide some feedback on damper and shock upgrades and let me know what you think is the best to purchase, your experience with different brands, and so on.

Thanks ahead of time for your feedback.

 

What's the wheel backspacing? If it's too far to the outside, that's giving the tires and wheels extra leverage to give the steering linkage extra feedback. Also, I think you have too much wheel and not enough sidewall. There is much less sidewall to "flex" and allow steering feedback to be absorbed. The spacer lift is so minimal, I don't think that is an issue. Since the main two things you have changed are the tires and wheels, that is the direction I would tend to go. I see the Jeep is an X model, so I take it that you had 16s on it stock, right? If so, then you made a drastic change in the wheel and tire area. Wheels with too little backspacing and tires with low sidewalls are two things that rank really on the death wobble and steering shimmy/problem list. Do you still have the stock tires and wheels? If so, swap them back on and see what happens.

 

The backspacing is 5.4" the wheels really don't sit out that far at all.

I went with a lower profile tire because I didn't want a lot of side wall. Large side wall tires tend to roll more and cause more drifting issues. I am also running ballancing beads (Dyna Beads) in the tires for balancing instead of typical weights.

 

Now, my steering is terrible. Bump steer is a serious issue and the steering itself is very touchy and feels like it is all over the road. I am running the tires at 28PSI. I know going to larger tires makes for a bit more sensitive steering, but I have never experienced anything like this before.

Now, I am feeling that the OEM damper is just weak and I need to upgrade to a heavier shock. I have been looking at Fox stabilizer, but I was wanting some feedback on these. They are a bit pricey compared to other units, but is it worth it.

I really wanted the Rough country 2.2 dual set-up, but it won't fit on my ride. I emailed rough country and asked them, and they said no way.

Also I am thinking about upgradeing the shocks to Bilstein 5100 series all around. I am figuring that if I upgrade to a better shock and the damper, many of my problems will go away.

So could you please provide some feedback on damper and shock upgrades and let me know what you think is the best to purchase, your experience with different brands, and so on.

Thanks ahead of time for your feedback.

Even though your lift is minimal, you probably still altered your caster, which could have been under dealer spec from the factory. Get it checked and see where you are at as it should be around 4.2.

Check all of your steering componets and make sure they are properly torqued.

As far the steering stabilizer. The stock should be fine but if you are determined to change it, go with a Teraflex, you can't beat it for the $. Plus, I haven't heard a bad review on it and many say that their steering feels tighter. Now, why won't the RC dual fit???

 

That backspacing is pretty comparable to stock. I think the stock backspacing is 6.25". Somebody please chime in if I'm incorrect. However, it looks likre the wheels you have are a completely different offset than stock. Most are different, but yours almost remind me of a front wheel drive wheel, the center is so close to the outside. I'm kinda wondering if that may be your amplifier. Because the wheel center is so close to the outer edge of the wheel, there's a lot of leverage for the tire and wheel assembly to radiate suspension feedback. I just don't think the lift is to blame here. I have the Teraflex 2.5" coil lift on mine. I got right at 3.25" of lift in the front from stock and I have NO shimmy, wobble or nuthin. NUTHIN. In fact, it rides better than it did before. If you do some research, you'll see that wheels and tires are pretty high on the list for this type trouble.

 

The RC Dual won't fit because the absolute minimum without rubbing is a 2" Lift. The 1 3/4 lift will cause rubbing on the dif cover.

I purchased these wheels simply because they were very close to the oem as far as the offset, backspace, ect. I understand that you feel that this is where the issues are arrising from, but my question is simply... If I get new shocks and a heavier damper, will it help with the problem?

I have over $3000 invested in the wheels and tires. Getting rid of them or changing to something different isn't really an option. I am simply trying to find a way to make the vehicle more road friendly and am asking for input on how to achieve this and looking for reccomendations on brands, models, ect.

 

I'm not suggesting you can the new shoes. I think your caster is going to be too little even though you only lifted it 1.75. That will cause it to feel a little flighty. Will shocks and a hd steering stabilizer help??? Maybe. Shocks have a huge effect on your ride and as I stated above, many say that a HD SS help give the JK a stiffer steering wheel. On the SS, I'd go with a hydro over the Fox nitro as the higher pressure has made some JK's pull while driving.

 

Calypso, I wasn't implying that you suggest I change the wheels, but redneckjeep seemed to be implying that the problem was from the wheels and the only fix was I needed different wheels. If the wheels are the issue, that is fine, but I want options to correct the problem other than changing the wheels.

As far as the castor, is there a way to check this yourself or does a shop need to do this? I was under the impression that the stock JKs didn't have any way of adjusting castor. And that lifting it under 3" didn't require any chage in that area.

You suggest a hydro damper. Is that made by rancho? what about bilstein shocks, any input on them?

 

I think you've gotten the best first step suggestions. Swap out the new shoes for the original ones (or borrow a set if you have to) to see if the problem remains. If not - you've got to decide which is better for you safety or shoes?

Also have the Jeep's suspension checked out since you had to remove the springs to install the spacers, you need to check your allignment. Shocks and SS won't fix the issue - at best (and probably only temporarily) mask the underlying problem. Find that and your path to happiness will be a smooth one.

 

Bilstein are some of the best shocks available but I think it's important to match your shocks with your spring rate for the best ride.

Most SS's are hydro and really, any of them are better than the stock one. IMO, Rancho, Teraflex, OME, FT are some top choices. The TF may be your best deal.

There isn't a way to adj caster on the stock set up but you can check it pretty easy just so you know where you are. Check here:

http://project-jk.com/jeep-jk-write-...-end-alignment